Rams terrorize Sam Darnold again, take control of NFC West race over Seahawks as defense leads way

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Forty-five days ago, the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers inside this building at SoFi Stadium in one of the best games of the 2025 NFL season. Rams coach Sean McVay rolled the dice in overtime and went for it on fourth-and-1, but running back Kyren Williams was stopped short, which ended the game and resulted in a 26-23 loss.

Since that moment, Los Angeles has been playing like it's in a different weight class among all NFC contenders. The Rams have been nearly flawless on offense, and quarterback Matthew Stafford has been playing at an MVP-level at 37 years old.

That loss to the 49ers -- and the weeks in between -- have been part of a buildup to Sunday's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, which was arguably the most intriguing game on the Week 11 NFL slate. While the recipe during Los Angeles' win streak has been a heavy dose of offense, it was the defense that made a statement during a dramatic 21-19 win, which moved them into sole possession of first place in the NFC West. 

Los Angeles forced four turnovers and was able to hold on for a dramatic victory after Seahawks kicker Jason Myers missed a 61-yard attempt with no time remaining.

"We learned how to be a good team," Rams star edge rusher Jared Verse told CBS Sports. "Like how to hold ourselves together, hold each other to a high standard. I'll never hold somebody to something I won't hold myself to."

The Rams are the favorites to win the NFC West (-220) and have the second-best odds (3/1) to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX behind the Philadelphia Eagles after their fifth consecutive win, per FanDuel. The Eagles currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams because of a dramatic 33-26 win earlier this season. During that game, Los Angeles led by as many as 19 points before the Eagles stormed back.

Rams defense picks up Stafford, the offense

It's no secret that Stafford wasn't firing on all cylinders in this game like he had been during the last month. Stafford finished 15 of 28 for 130 yards and two touchdowns, which included firing a 1-yard touchdown strike to star receiver Davante Adams for his 1,000th career reception. 

Stafford's 15 completions and 130 passing yards were both season lows. However, over the last seven games, Stafford has thrown 22 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The only quarterbacks who have thrown at least 25 touchdown passes and two interceptions or fewer through the first 10 games are Stafford, Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes.

Even though Stafford missed throws against Seattle like he had been making with ease in previous weeks, it didn't matter. Stafford's defense picked him and the offense up despite being on the field for a majority of the game. Seattle won the time of possession (37:49 to 22:11) behind a balanced offensive attack. There was a clear goal to keep a potent Los Angeles offense on the sidelines.

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"We are never going to apologize for finding ways to be able to win," McVay said. "This is a resilient group. Love what I saw from our defense. ... There are never out of the fight. Defense and special teams did an excellent job and made enough plays offensively."

Earlier this offseason, the Rams permitted Stafford's agents to contact other teams to figure out what a contract would look like if he were to be traded elsewhere. However, the almost no-brainer decision to restructure his deal to bring him back has paid off in a major way. As of Sunday evening, Stafford is still the favorite to win NFL MVP (+170) on FanDuel ahead of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye despite a lackluster performance to his standards.

"He's a wizard man," Verse said. "I don't know how the hell he's doing it at his age. He's just a dawg throwing the ball and dotting it up. That's just Stafford. I have seen it all, camp. That's just who he is."

Sam Darnold turns back the clock ... in the wrong way

The lowlight from Seattle's loss was the play of Darnold. The Seahawks' franchise quarterback posted solid box score numbers by completing 29 of 44 attempts for 279 yards, but his four interceptions tied a career-worst. In fact, the last time Darnold threw four interceptions in a single game was in Week 7 loss against the New England Patriots during the 2019 campaign.

In that game, Darnold finished 11 of 32 for just 86 yards. Why that game might sound familiar, you may ask? It's when Darnold infamously told reporters that he was "seeing ghosts" after having the worst statistical performance of his career.

Seattle signed Darnold this offseason after trading away Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders to give the franchise stability after he had a career revival with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 season. However, Darnold's tenure with Minnesota ended sourly after a 27-9 loss in the wild card round to this very Rams team. Sunday was the first time Darnold had faced the Rams since. 

Since taking over as a starter last season, Darnold is 21-7. However, he is now 0-3 against the Rams.

"You can't turn the ball over as much as I did today," Darnold said. "I will learn from it. Watch the tape, grow from it. ... I got to be better, personally, and I know we will bounce back and learn and grow from this one."

Darnold and Seattle will have a chance at redemption next month when they play the Rams at home in Week 16. For now, though, the Rams control the NFC West title picture. And after this game, Los Angeles sure looks like the team to beat from the NFC, too, with just seven weeks remaining in the regular season.